50 years of the EU's Common Agriculture Policy

For 50 years now, the European Union is making sure that we have food security and high quality products within the Union, that we are competitive on the global market and that social and environmental standards are respected.

Nevertheless, this policy has always been heavily debated and as the CAP is currently undergoing a reform you can be sure that we will talk about this policy a lot throughout 2012. This is what I said in my speech - in French - at the interinstitutional event marking the anniversary of the CAP. I attended the event together with Dacian Ciolos, the current Commissioner, and we also had the pleasure to welcome two previous Commissioners responsible for agriculture. Interesting times in the past, and interesting time to come, politically speaking.

Weekly Commission meeting with CAP on the agenda

The College of Commissioners will meet quite early today and I have to write this article while drinking my second morning coffee and reading the daily press review. The main important point for discussion at the meeting (we will start in about an hour) will be the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (the "CAP" as it is called in Brussels jargon). Commissioner Ciolos has presented an interesting proposal and it is important that it will have the unanimous support of all Commission members to be able to push for reform and to improve the economic and ecological competitiveness or Europe's agricultural sector. One of the main points I will stress during the meeting is to continue to support young farmers. We have to send out a strong signal to the next generation to encourage them to continue to build an EU agriculture that is fit for the future. Have to stop writing now, my chef de cabinet Mr Laitenberger will come any minute for the last updates before the meeting.